Originally Posted by
mikeschu
The Amtrak agent on the phone said that they don't know in which order the cars will be in on the train, but I have the car numbers. She said that in most cases they try to orient the cars on the Coast Starlight such that the full bedrooms get the better view. Based on this I selected roomette #6 on the upper floor for both legs (even number roomettes are on the same side as the full rooms). This allows me space from the toilet and not being too close to the doors or stairways at night.
That hasn't officially been the procedure for several years, but several Amtrak managers and crew in LA do make an effort to orient the sleepers such that the bedrooms are oriented left (west-facing) for northbound train 14. The nice thing is, there are no bad views on this route! If you're not facing the ocean for those few hours, you can go to the Pacific Parlour or lounge cars. The sleeper attendant may also allow you to sit in an unoccupied room if there is one.
I also agree that the middle roomettes upstairs (3-8) are the best to mitigate noise.